Five more shows that pushed the envelope
By RYAN STEWART | October 3, 2006
"SHE MIGHT BE HIGH ON POT": The "freaks" of Freaks and Geeks |
The White Shadow | 1979-’81 | A white ex-basketball player coaches an inner-city team of primarily African-American and Latino students in a show that dealt with race relations, gang violence, and other facts of teen inner-city life. Championed by George Costanza.
Sample episode: “Needle” — one player’s cousin dies of a heroin overdose.21 Jump Street | 1987-’90 | Cops who pose undercover as teens cope with teen problems: drugs, hate crimes, drinking, vandalism. Starred a young Johnny Depp.
Sample episode: “The Girl Next Door” — one of the cops gets in close with a cheerleader with AIDS.
Saved by the Bell | 1989-’93 | Jessie Spano’s caffeine-pill bender is still a punch line in college dorms everywhere, even though the average college freshman was four years old when this first aired.
Sample episode: “Jessie’s Song” — the pill-popping episode in question.
Beverly Hills, 90210 | 1990-’2000 | Dylan boozed, Brandon gambled, Kelly shoved stuff up her nose, Donna Martin almost didn’t graduate, Steve took steroids, and Valerie had all kinds of stuff going on.
Sample episode: “Intervention” — the gang tries to get Dylan off the bottle.
Freaks and Geeks | 1999-’2000 | Not really controversial, but it certainly pushed the envelope regarding what we think of when we consider teen comedy, with remarkably true-to-life characters.
Sample episode: “Chokin’ and Tokin’ ” — Lindsay tries pot for the first time; Bill nearly dies when some wiseguy puts a peanut in his sandwich.
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Topics:
Television
, Social Issues, George Costanza, Johnny Depp
